The coating or binding of multiple (for example, 1,000 or more) minute (for example, sub-nanoliter) samples on a plate and the simultaneous identical processing thereof has been developed in the form of microplates. An on-beads method of binding individual samples onto separate beads has also been developed.
However, a special device (microplotter or microdispenser) is required to coat the sample on the plate in these conventional methods, and they require time and effort. Further, only certain reaction conditions are normally possible for reacting samples that have been coated in this manner. Even when transferring to different reaction conditions, all of the samples must be exposed to identical reaction conditions. When the number of samples exceeds 1,000, it has not been possible to conduct reactions with different stages or expose individual samples to different reaction conditions. Additionally, in on-bead methods, in which separate samples are bound to beads, the beads have conventionally not been separated individually (spatially separated) for handling. This is because the development of a special device has been necessary for individual separation and handling. Even when such a device is employed, effort is required for separation and arrangement. Nor has any method (that is, method of rapidly transferring the samples in parallel fashion) facilitating the subsequent handling of the beads been proposed. No simple method of creating more than 1,000 different reaction conditions has been devised.
The simultaneous conducting of biochemical reactions such as PCR on substrates (plates) having multiple microwells is well known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) Heisei No. 5-317030 (Patent Reference 1)). An improvement in which the capacity of the microwells is reduced and the reaction progresses favorably has also been made (WO2002/025289 (Patent Reference 2)). However, in conventional methods and devices employing multimicrowells in this manner, a reaction is simultaneously conducted with other samples, the conditions of each of the reactions are identical, and the reaction conditions of individual wells are not separately controlled.